News Briefs

Comelec wants candidate who slapped poll exec disbarred

The Commission on Elections (Comelec) wants a local candidate who slapped an election officer over illegal campaign posters disbarred.

“The candidate who slapped our Comelec EO is Marty Toralba who claims to be a lawyer. We will have him disbarred,” Comelec Commissioner Rowena Guanzon said on her Twitter account.

Toralba, a candidate for board member, reportedly slapped Camiling, Tarlac, election officer Teddy Mariano after the conduct of “Operation Baklas” of illegal campaign posters on April 6.

The Comelec Employees’ Union strongly condemned the assault on Mariano. —Tina G. Santos

3 Russian Navy ships arrive for five-day visit

Three Russian Navy ships are expected to arrive on Monday for a five-day goodwill visit.

The Russian Pacific Fleet’s large antisubmarine vessels Admiral Tributs and Vinogradov will be accompanied by large sea tanker Boris Botuma, which docked in the Philippines for a similar visit in January.

According to Navy spokesperson Capt. Jonathan Zata, goodwill visits from other navies foster and strengthen relationships and “enhance and sustain the promotion of peace, stability and maritime cooperation” through naval diplomacy and camaraderie.

This is the second goodwill visit of the Russian Navy this year. The Russian Navy ships will be open to the public on April 9. —Jeannette I. Andrade

International lawyers group slams Red-tagging of NUPL

The International Association of Democratic Lawyers (IADL) condemned the Duterte administration’s Red-tagging of members of the National Union of Peoples’ Lawyers (NUPL) as “irresponsible, slanderous and legally punishable.”

The international organization also called on the government “to immediately cease and desist” maligning the NUPL and other human rights lawyers, and to let them do their work unhampered.

In a Saturday resolution passed during the meeting of the IADL bureau, the group said that statements made by Maj. Gen. Antonio Parlade Jr. suggesting that the NUPL and other people’s organizations had links to the Communist Party of the Philippines and the New People’s Army were “unsupported.”

The resolution added that the claims had no specific and verifiable evidence. —Patricia Denise M. Chiu

CHR condemns NPA for Mindoro abductions 

The Commission on Human Rights (CHR) on Sunday condemned the abduction of a barangay chairman, two civilians and a paramilitary member allegedly by members of the New People’s Army (NPA) in Bansud, Oriental Mindoro.

“We condemn any act that transgresses on fundamental human rights,” CHR spokesperson Jacqueline Ann de Guia said. —Patricia Denise M. Chiu